Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE,WED., JULY 25, 1928. PEACE IN INDUSTRY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16706, 25 July 1928, Page 6

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE,WED., JULY 25, 1928. PEACE IN INDUSTRY

The decision of the British employers and employed, rtf ter a. lengthy 'conference held with the object of bringing about a better understanding, to form a National Industrial Council is one of the greatest events of our time. The Mother Country hitherto regarded in some quarters as slow, decadent, and out-of-dnlo is showing tin example to the Dominions of the way to national progress. Both Now Zealand, and Australia have recently grappled with the problem of industrial unrest without reaching any finality, and the decision arrived at in Britain cannot fail to influence them to reopen the question. The universal desire for peace as between the nations has led to a conviction that peace in industry is almost as important to the wellbeing of peoples as peace in the international sphere, , and .that a nation’s industrial prosperity is impossible unless labor and capital are able to wor|t together in harmony. For vtars past internecine strife has been a feature of nearly every nation’s industrial life and the prospect lias been growing distinctly worse. It, has become evident to thoughtful leaders on both sides that continuance of bellicose tactics can only lead to disaster. Unless capital and labor could establish harmonious relationship the future of British industry' was- 7 regarded as very dark indeed. It was an intense consciousness of the fact which prompted a representative group of British employers last November to extend to t ho General Council of the Trade Union Congress an invitation to meet together to, talk things over. The congress executive, to its credit, accepted the invitation. Last January a conference was held, and, after a general survey of the field, a committee was appointed. That, committee has now reported, and the full conference has accepted its re commendation to form a Council composed of ten representatives from each side, together with representatives of the Joint Conciliation Board, to enable the continuation and improvement of industrial reorganisation and industrial relations. Meetings are to be periodic, methods of operations aye outlined, consultative devices for the more effective settlement of disputes are suggested. The things proposed, however, it has been pointed out, are not more important than the spirit manifested on both sides. Employers’ and workers’ representatives alike seem eager to lay hold on to this new hope. The significance of the Council lies in the fact that it recognises trade unionism as an integral part of the national life. Modern employers acknowledge its right to exist; they profess to respect it; they propose to treat with it. Both sides tacitly confess that the old methods have been a ghastly, costly failure. Lord Mclchett, in commenting with enthusiasm on these “far-reaching resolutions,” say r s that the Industrial Council “provides an impreccdently representative body to consider in friendly fashion at all times, and not only during a controversy, matters affecting industrial prosperity.” British common-sense, it may be claimed, has asserted itself; the propagandists of revolutionary theory have been proved impotent. The question that concerns us is how long will it be before a similar good understanding is reached between employers and employed in this country. The recent conference at Wellington was not without value, though it failed to arrive at any definite rapprochement, for the exchange of views cannot fail to have been beneficial, and had a general election not, been in the offing if is possible the parties might have been able to come to some rational agreement. We hope, however, that overtures for a good understanding will not be abandoned. New Zealand, for many years past, lias professed to lead the world in social and industrial legislation. Times have come occasionally, however, when that legislation, on the industrial side, has been found' far from perfect. Tlic Conciliation and Arbitration Act has not given the harmonious results that its sponsors intended, and it is a moot question whether its first object, conciliation, has been attained. It should lie possible to improve the machinery by introducing, as is proposed in Britain, greater facilities for roundtable conference. The spirit of conciliation is being embodied in the Britisit National Council in a more practical manner than obtains here. In Great Britain industrial cleavage has been, wider than it has been in New Zealand, and yet if it is found possible at Home to bring representatives of employers and workers together in friendly council it should also be possible here. Industrial peace, it has been said, will never come until industry has been purged of polities. In England the promoters of the peace move took the wise step of excluding from the conference the politicians. It is a point worth considering when overtures’ are made for future conferences in this country. The British Agreement should form the basis and the incentive for fresh negotiations in New Zealand. We are sure that most people would be delighted to see further overtures for a drawing together of the respective interests, for it is qqite evident, that genuine prosperity. win not come to New Zealand until fears of industrial disturbance,

which so hamper the employment of eapitnl in the establishment and extension of industries, arc removed.

A group of Australian industrialists have acquired from an inventor in Holland rights over a. patent for tjie manufacture of sacks from coconut fibre.

Our Tikiliki correspondent writes:The rumor is persistent that the Hon. K. S. Williams will be opposed by a coast settler, who will stand in the Labor interest for the 15ay of Plenty.

American air services are now able to perform day and night flying between the Atlantic and the Paeitic. a chain of beacons having been completed, with six directional radio stations to guide the way.

The prevailing malady in Gisborne at present appears to be what is popularly referred 'to as “ the ’flit.” 11 There is Intrdiy a house in Gisborne that has not had it lately,” remarked a doctor to-day, when discussing the position. A donation of £S 10s 6d to the unemployment relief fund was received at last evening’s meeting of the Gisborne Borough Council from the Thistle Football Club. It was decided to. forward a letter of thanks to the club for its efforts. The success of the Poverty Bay court at the Auckland Winter Show was re ferred to at last, evening's meeting of the Borough Council, when it was re solved to extend the. council's congratulations to the Winter Show _ Association upon its achievement.

Three eases of infectious diseases were notified to the health inspector, Mr. F. N. Holder, for liio Cook County last month. Of these, Mr. Holder reported to jhe council meeting to-day. .two were eases of diphtheria and one of pneumonia. .

In very wet periods some dislocation lo mail services is expected in outlying parts of 'the Poverty Bay and East Coast districts, but when an enquiry was made at the Gisborne Post Off ice this morning, it was stated that, no notification of interruption had been received to date.

The fund being raised by the Gisborne musicians for the relief of unemployment in this town has been augmented by two handsome donations. The sum of £2n lias been received from the proprietors of hotels in Gisborne, and £5 from Mr. T. Quirk. i The fifth evening’s play in the efibbage tournament being held among the members of the Kahutia Bowling Club, in competition for the Bill Hay Cup, was concluded last night. The contest, with three more nights to go, has reached a very interesting stage, as will be seen by the aggregate points scored up to date, as follow: C. Bollock and A. Sawyer 28 wins. J. Langford 27. Dr. Collins and It. Jenkins 26, Atkinson 25, H. Smith, B. Dudfield, and J. Eaton 25, W. Town 22, E. Lane 21, D. Murphy 19, G. Downey 18, R. Morse and J. Both well 17, F. Simpson and Dunlop 16, Solvamler and E. Robertson 15, O’Donnell 14, and six others with less than 10. ,

Reference to the complaint of Kaiti residents against the cutting down of trees in Harris street was made at last evening’s meeting of the Borough Council.by the Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman. His Worship reminded the council that at the last meeting it had been decided that, the whole council should inspect the trees, but last week when the inspection was to be made, a quorum was not formed. This Monday only a few councillors turned up, and they felt that they should not take it upon themselves to decide the matter. Tho question would have to stand over, therefore, until the next meeting.

Recently tho Cook County Counci raised the question of winter carting ol power poles over the Hangaron riding roads by the Public Works Department in the erection of the WaikaremoanaGisborne electric transmission line. The Public Works Department was approached on the matter, and the following reply from the assistant eleetri cal engineer at Tnai was read at today’s meeting of the council: “Further to " conversation between your engineei and Mr. Sampson of this department in reference to our cartage over your roads during the winter months, approval has now been obtained to pay £2OO towards maintenance.” The overseer, Mr. A Guthrie, iu reply to questions, stated that the Public Works Department were not to cart in wet weather. The posi tion was really that the department would «cart only when the council per mitted it.

At the last meeting of the Whakatane Harbor Board the chairman, Mr. W. R. Boon, said the board would have to face the position and put their finances on a sound footing. Little fuither reduction could be made regarding expenditure. As a .result of the railway competition the board was losing revenue and this would have to be met by an increased rate. Manures and coal had not lately been coming through the port and this accounted for a big drop in the revenue. If the butter from the Rangitaiki factory came through the port during the coming year there would be a good chance of a' lighter rate being struck, but in the meantime liabilities would have to be met for the current year. Mr. Smedley said that lower valuations were in part responsible for the need to t increase the rate. After a good deal of discussion it was resolved to strike a rate of ljd, this being £-d more than was struck last year.

Arrangements have been completed by the Poverty Bay Winter Show Association for the staging in flisborne of tin district court which retained (lie district courts’ shield at the Auckland Winter Show, which concluded on Saturday. The exhibits are being ■■shipped from Auckland this week, and are expected to arrive on Friday, after which they will be immediately assembled in the City Hall for public exhibition on Monday and Tuesday. The organiser has promised to stags exactly the same display as was seen by the Auckland public, and Gisborne people, no doubt, will lie anxious to see it. School children iMcoinpanied bv their teachers are to lie admitted free from 9 a.m. till noon on both days, but a small charge is being made for the admission of the public, ail profits to be used for unemployment relief. An attraction during the evening sessions wifi he piogrammes of music by the Citv Band.

With the approach of tlie closing dale entries are being received in highly satisfactory numbers for the Gisborne Competitions Festival next month, and there are indications that the total number of entries will exceed the average for the past few years. Several entries have been received from competitors in other districts.; in the dancing .section there will be four outside competitors, in the adult vocal classes three, and in the adult elocutionary classes two, and there is a probability of several otlie outside entries being lodged before the end of the week. The dancing section will be particularly strong this year, especially in the classic, fancy, and graceful classes, and three bahets have been entered, as compared with one at last year’s festival. Gramophone music will 'be permitted for the accompaniments for the fancy dancing classes, the judge considering this class of music quite satisfactory. It is interesting tc note that the Wellington Society intro chived the idea of gramophone music this year, and that this type of accompaniment is in vogue in the Australian festival?.

The, sum oE £llsO has boon expended on the Herries memorial park at Tatiranga. The amount of the bequest was £IOOO. A total of 54 bead of stock were impounded during the past month by the Cook County i anger, Mr. F A. Cameron.

An offer on the part of Mr. E. C. Fiskeii, to provide a training room for local amateur boxers, was warmly acknowledged at the Boxing Association’s annual meeting last evening.

Fortunately the present period of stermv weather has ccine at a time when lambs on the high' country have not yet made their appearance. Mn the flats ;nme are running round, hut so far their numbers are small. However, little anxiety is felt for (he.se as, though there has been a great deal of rain, the weather to date has not been verv cold.

Owing to the increased number of subscribers to the Te Karaka exchange the hours of attendance at that exchange have been extended to 6 a.m. till midnight. and there will be attendance on Sundays from 9to 10 a.in. and from 5 to 6 p.m., and on holidays from 9 to 10 a.m., and from 7 to 8 p.m. The Sunday attendance will commence next Sunday. The hours at Te Araroa have also been increased from 6 a.m- to 10 p.m.

Keen appreciation of Mr. B. 11. Aislahie’s thought fulness in arranging the farewell function tendered to the lieeney brothers on the eve of their departure to join Tom lieeney in America., was expressed l>v the Gisborne Boxing Association members last evening. Members commented that Messrs. Jack, 'Arthur and Pat lieeney must have carried away lively impressions of the interest wliieh their famous brother’s performances and prospects had aroused in Gisborne.

In the Police Court this morning before Messrs. A. G. Bee re and J. F. Wachsmanti, d’s.P., a native youth-. Tuahine Matche, was charged with stealing £5 belonging, to Hone Potaka at Wiiipiro Bay on February 2, and with unlawfully entering Potaka’s dwelling with intent to commit a crime; On the application of Senior-Sergeant MacLean, tho accused was remanded to appear before the magistrate at Waipiro Bay on November 6. Mr. J. R. Kirk appeared for the accused, and on his application bail was allowed in the sum of £SO in the accused’s own recognisance.

Wanganui unemployed voted against tho suggestion of leading citizens that the wages paid to men on relief works be reduced from 15s 4d a day to 12s for married men, and 9s for single. The decision was reached at a meeting attended. by over 100 unemployed men and members of the Unemployed Relief Committee, called as a result of the refusal of a section of the business community to contribute to the relief fund if the award late of pay was adhered to. The effect of their decision is that the unemployed of Wanganui have virtually lefused an offer of assistance from the business .people, which would have provided them with a “substantial sum” for relief works. Cue man voted for the reduction.

A party representing insurance interests m Wellington visited the central tire station and were shown over the premises by the .superintendent, Mr. J. L'reke. A demonstration of fire-fighting was then given. Mr. Creke said about 90 per cent, of the fires in New Zealand were caused through carelessness, and of the other 1C per cent, most were caused through a shortage of money. Carelessness was not an easy thing to cureindeed, it was a very difficult problem, but one they had to .try and solve somehow or other. It was almost useless to try and induce a change of outlook in adults, but they hoped to bring about a very different mental attitude toward fire prevention by educating the young people. A scheme had been approved whereby officers of the brigade would deliver short talks to the scholars on the value of fire prevention, whereby it was hoped to inculcate in them a habit of care where there was any possibility of a fire occurring under existing conditions.

Making the most of the stockwhip and infuriating the cow he was seeking to control, a drover entered the back garden of a Gonville home. The cow careered about and round to the front of the house, damaging the garden considerably. The lady of the house looked out of a window in amazement at the intrusion, hut her amazement was turned to wrath when the stockman yelled in stentorian tones, “Open the gate,” referring to the front gate. “Do it yourself” was the indignant reply. The cow and the pursuing horse continued to damage the garden until a man working near opened the gate, To make matters worse the drover took his horse down a newly formed sandy bank, in a most careless manner. The owner of the property states that the insolence of the man was if anything more exasperating than the damage done by the animal. Judging hv the way in which the drover handled tiie cow an onlooker suggested t hat drove,i J s ought, to he put through a lost of fitness to drive stock, in the city! —Wanganui Herald.

In commenting on the proposals contained m the report of the new primary school syllabus, Mr. E. K. Lomas, actipg principal of Wellington Training College, in his report to the Wellington Kchicaiiou Board, had something to say about writing in the primary schools. “ It, is in standard 5 that speed in writing is first mentioned, but in every standard an appropriate speed and quality should be insisted upon,” wrote Mr. Lomas. “ Nowhere in the syllabus in writing is there any reference to a definite standard of attainment in either speed or quality, and yet these are two of (he simplest elements accurately determined by the use of correct measures of writing, possible even to untrained college students. Writing in schools is always condemned by the business world, and always unjustly because, as a matter of fact, * the quality in New Zealand schools is at a correct degree of attainment, hut the speed of even a good standard 6 is that of average standard 2 on any recognised scale of measurement. In business speed is required, and as a result the office boy’s writing is disgraceful fcven when lie has been trained in a good school.”

While the campaign for funds for the widows of Lieut. Moncrieff and Captain Hood, who lost tliir lives in the attempt to lly the. Tasman Sen, and the outlier oF Lieut. Moncrieff was in progress, two of the' cane chairs removed from their machine prior to Ihe takeoil' were offered by auction. One was sold and resold several times under the auspices of the Wool Buyers’ Association, £240 being obtained\in that way, and the chair was eventually presented to Mr. H. G. Anderson, chairman of ttie association, who conducted the sale. The second chair found no bidders. At the final meeting of the fund committee in Wellington. Mr. G. 1\ H. Davidson suggested that it. should be handed to the Mayor in recognition of the part he took in inaugurating the fund campaign and in carrying it through. The mooting approved, but Mv. Trouu said "No” very definitely. He felt that he could not accept the chair, and he had a- much better proposal: that was that lie should hand it. on behalf of the copnnitlee, to Mr. Davidson, for he it was who had suggested the auctioning of the first chair by the Wool Buyers’ Association, and had been chiefly responsible for the success of the effort. The meeting heartily approved, and the chair was presented to Mr. Dayidsqn.